Very Special
Sitting at 2,100m above sea level, Bishan Wate produces exceptional washed, natural and special preparation lots. The site was built by Testi in 2021 as a ‘premium’ facility, and selected for its natural advantages – including its high elevation, the surrounding region’s characteristics and access to fresh, clean water (in this case, from nearby Wate river). By choosing sites in areas favoured with great growing conditions and paying premiums for properly harvested fruit, Testi ensures they only receive extremely high quality cherry, resulting in outstanding complexity and distinction in the resulting cup.
This lot was processed at Bishan Wate washing station, a privately-owned washing station that is located in the Hambella Womena woreda (administrative district) in Ethiopia’s Guji zone. The washing station is found in the kebele (local village) of Buku Seyisa, and is one of 28 owned and managed by Testi Coffee, a family-owned company founded by Mr. Faysel A. Yonis.
Premium Washed
The washing station currently employs some 20 permanent staff and around 150 seasonal workers. During harvest, freshly picked coffee cherry is delivered daily by between 600 to 800 independent outgrowers from the nearby kebeles of Buku Seyisa, Tirtira Goyo and Wade Suke. At Bishan Wate, Testi separates and processes each kebele’s cherry delivery as a distinct lot, providing extra traceability. This particular coffee comes from the kebele of Buku Seyisa.
The majority of the families that contribute to this lot farm organically on tiny plots of land, averaging under one hectare in size. Coffee is their main cash crop and grows alongside food crops of corn, grain and bananas, under the shade of native Birbira, Wanza, and Acacia trees. The average elevation of the farms in this region is very high – around 2,000–2,200m above sea level – and this, combined with the region’s cool temperatures, is ideal for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, leading to denser beans and a sweeter, more complex cup profile. Most outgrowers who contribute to this lot live within 5-7 kilometres of Bishan Wate washing station, and their crop grows under exceptionally prodigious conditions, which adds to the distinct cup quality of this lot.
Premium Cherry Selection
This coffee lot was produced as part of Testi’s quality improvement initiative, Premium Cherry Selection (PCS). Launched in 2018, the Premium Cherry Selection program ensures that best practices are used for growing, harvesting and processing the coffee cherry. Through the program, Testi pay a premium to farmers who pick and deliver only the ripest cherries from their farms. Coffees produced as part of the program represent the highest quality and cleanest cup profile available from the washing station and wider region.
